Finding Faith ... in my favorite coffee shop

The main seating area at The Brew coffee shop in Dickinson, N.D. The java hut is located in a former Episcopal Church.

This morning I find myself working in one of my favorite coffee shops I've ever had the luxury of visiting, and trust me, that's a lot of coffee shops. Some quaint, some quirky, some tropical, some corporate ... lots and lots of coffee shops.

But this particular coffee shop found its home in a retired Episcopal church on the western badlands of North Dakota, in a sort-of frontier town called Dickinson. The church is everything you'd expect in a pioneer (with hopes of getting big) town in western North Dakota.

In fact, the story goes that former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt attended the church when he spent time in the Dakotas. ... True story, according to The Brew's website.

A typical floor plan of a simple Episcopal church.

Thankfully, with foresight, the owners of The Brew preserved as much of the church as possible. The small narthex is preserved as a two-person coffee nook. The stain-glass windows were saved and now let in beautiful, tinted, glorious sunlight. The ceiling's woodwork was kept and refurbished. They kept the pews, cut them up into smaller portions, and they now serve as seating in this must-see brew house. In the nave, you can still tell where the former two rows of pews would have existed and where the center aisle was.

And although the outfits coffee-making center now takes up much of the former chancel, they were able to preserve the altar as a second-level backroom coffee nook. That's where they also hang consignment local art for sale, giving the room a very bohemian feel.

The owners obviously understand the gem that they possess. This is their simple message on the "About" page of their website: "We are The Brew. Simple name. Simple mission. To make darn good coffee, no two ways about it. We opened in 2011 with the goal to create a place for you to stop by and get a great drink, a place that you can bring a good book or computer and chill out for a couple hours, a place to get some great food and drinks and meet some awesome people. A one-of-a-kind, 1887 (former) church, where President Teddy Roosevelt attended when in the Dakotas,now a coffee lovers haven. Good drinks. Good food.  Good music.  Good people. That's us. So now that you know who we are, come on in and let us get to know you."

So, it's probably fairly obvious that I am a coffee fan. All kinds of coffee. All the flavors. Hot or cold. I enjoy it all, and so on my travels, I spend a lot of time visiting coffee shops.

In fact, I secretly judge a town on its coffee shops. The more locally owned, off-the-beaten path shops that possess flair and panache, the more credit I give your town. ... Fair? Maybe not. But it's one of my little peccadilloes.

And thus I mightily admire the people of Dickinson, N.D., for supporting such a treasure of a coffee house.

The coffee-making station at The Brew.

But I digress. ... So, how exactly, you might be asking, is it that I'm finding faith in a coffee house (albeit an awesome coffee) this morning?

Because I can see Jesus showing up in the loving care that the owners have poured into this sacred building. Obviously, in this day and age, we see uncountable numbers of former worship houses closing up and often just going empty, until they decay back into a pile of concrete, timbers and nails. But these folks obviously fell in love with this holy house.

Now, I can't tell you if they are people of faith or not, but I can see in their exquisite care of the structure that the Spirit was present in their redesign and new planned uses of the space. And because of that, my faith is buoyed by this lovely place.

But, it's more than just the care of the building. ... I see Jesus today in the people who are here as well. There are three or four small groups of friends (I can only assume they are friends as happily as they are getting on with each other.) dotting the pews and tables throughout the nave and former altar.

While I know that some might take offense to this church-turned-coffee house, but I see the broad smiles and hear the laughter emanating from the conversations taking place all around me, and I know that the Spirit is home here. Regardless of whether these folks know they are attending church this morning, they are. These conversations, this fellowship, that is taking place is every bit as holy as the decades of Sunday services that took place here.

We have to face the facts here. We have been living in a post modern, post Christian world for a while now. Not everyone feels the obligation to attend a regular church service, but according to reliable research done every year, people still feel spiritual. ... I see that as them being open to accepting the Spirit's presence in their life, while at the same time they struggle to see God or Jesus. And that is OK!

For instance, I see the Spirit present here this morning. And while the many other people present here might not describe it in the same fashion, I know they FEEL it!

As I said, I LOVE this coffee shop. ... And it is on my "must see" travel list that I am creating for Shelley and I for later in life, when the kids are graduated and have flown the coop.

I just cannot wait to share this experience with her, and that is why this morning, I am finding faith in a coffee shop. ... Amen.

The Brew in Dickinson, N.D.